Murie Science and Learning Center

Knowledge Informs Art: Drawing Inspiration from Denali, June 15-17

Karin Franzen teaches a sketching class in Denali National Park.

Every summer the Murie Science and Learning Center offers a wide range of classes that are taught in Denali National Park. A full listing of the offered classes can be found on the Alaska Geographic website. From June 15th through June 17th, Karin Franzen taught a sketching class. This Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) course is active and field-based. We spend the majority of our days outdoors observing wildlife, admiring the spectacular Denali scenery, and sketching. An endless source of inspiration, Denali has been the backdrop for thousands of artists in dozens of different media. Take a creative closer look into Denali’s natural world. By developing a well rounded knowledge of our subject matter, we can enhance our observations and influence our artwork in a positive way.

We enjoyed great weather and fantastic scenery.

Sketching on the Teklanika River, Denali National Park

The sound of water

is all I hear.

Voices are absorbed in triangles, rectangles, and

the massing of mountains.

Charcoal and graphite guide hands

as we layer the layers.

Creamy oil pastels and pencils become sexual,

“Sketch and Wash” becomes sacred,

wolves become caribou–

strangers become friends.

Denali loosens us up.

Space and time collide to create,

to slow down,

observe,

and breathe.

River banks and mountain passes

are the studio of choice.

Sketch books record how we “see”

this day,

this place.

Toklat, Tetlanika, and Polychrome

tend to our needs.

Pillow basalt and kettle ponds find their way

onto our pages.

Gifts are everywhere–

Oh, this healthy poverty!

Our trained eyes find the hidden,

yet we ponder

and find comfort in the

artificial obvious.

The sound of water

is all I hear.

~ Chris Greenfield-Pastro

June, 2009

A small gallery of sketches

Carolyn

Chris

Kathy

Linda

Lisa

Maya

Robin

Sarah

Amy

Amy

An excerpt from “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard
“The lover can see and the knowledgeable. I visited an aunt and uncle at a quarter-horse ranch in Cody, Wyoming. I couldn’t do much of anything useful, but I could, I thought, draw. So, as we all sat around the kitchen table after supper, I produced a sheet of paper and drew a horse. “That’s one lame horse,” my aunt volunteered. The rest of the family joined in: “Only place to saddle that one is his neck”; “Looks like we better shoot the poor thing, on account of those terrible growths.” Meekly, I slid the pencil and paper down the table. Everyone in that family, including my three young cousins, could draw a horse. Beautifully. . . . . . .The point is that I just don’t know what the lover knows; I just can’t see the artificial obvious that those in the know construct.”

Sketch by Sarah